Monday, February 11, 2013

Argentina Is As Nice A Place To Be As Anywhere In The World Right Now

I'm not in the New York office so this is the first, scheduled, not 'hot off the press,' Soapbox View as we're in Argentina. I decided the penny essay, deserved the first page through the weekend. But, before leaving, Thursday, the 7th, wouldn't you know, The New York Times ran this headline, Iran’s Supreme Leader Rejects Direct Talks With U.S. So, since, as everywhere, there are many Iranians who could use more pennies too, I dedicate the penny's longer stay as first page, through the weekend, to Iran.

Fabulous. In that nine word, two abbreviated, headline, is the incredulous strain this excessively grudge ridden world remains. Reading Thomas Erdbrin’s run down of who, what, when, where and why, the politics struck me. As the supreme commander to whom all Iranians are subservient, Ayatollah Khamenei is where the Iranian buck stops. If he were to show moderation toward the U.S., that's political weakness and not what any politician, of any kind, likes being known for.

Still, the United States, in some way, should be trying to get out from under the warmonger albatross and talk to whoever knows an Iranian. This isn't rocket science, finding a way both sides have nothing to fight over. Even the Ayatolla needs to be talking to someone. And for Allah's sake I hope listening, too. So if the United States will never have a good image with certain Muslims, that's what needs to be worked on now.

Even if its just talking to the Iranian grocer on the corner a dialogue should be kept open. Both countries need to come down from the mountaintop and compromise and conclude jihad is the fault of earlier times. Mean son-of-a-b_____s need to clean their acts up.

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